Ledger-holder.



C. H. BARILETT. LEDGER HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I0, ISIZ.

I 1,253,556?. Patented M1918.

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CHARLES H. BARTLETT, OF CAMBBDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEJDGER-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. l5, wie.

Application led October 1`0, 1912. Serial No.` 725,037.

To all whom t may concern.' Y

Be it known that l CHARLES H. BAirrnnrr,

a citizen lof the United States, and resident Vof Cambridge, in thecounty of Middlesex Aand State ofhfiassachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Ledger-Holders, of which the following isa specication'.

being such as to allow the book to be turned or opened from side toside, and also so as to allow the framework on which the book ordinarilyrests to be shifted relatively to the support in order that it may bedrawn 'forward and returned again.

Further objects ofthe invention are toy provide improvements instructure which will enable the book to be so inclined as'to make itconvenient for writingtherein or to be lowered partially belowthe frontedge vof atable ordesk and'hold it 'there for convenience of referencetothe contents of such book, without liability of being overbalanced andtilted oifthetableby the book. To these ends-the invention consistsinthe improvementswhich I will now proceed to describe and claim.

i permit a-portion of `thefbook to extend below the level of the top ofa table or desk;

l-1Fig. 2is a plan viewof the device, but indicating the rest or`platform in substan' Vtially the Vposition which it occupies whenthe-book is to be horizontal or nearly so;

Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3453 of Fig. 2, and showing a bookopen thereon.`

' Similar reference characters indicate the `sanieorl similar partsinall ofthe views.

"A postor standard is `supported by a base 11, 4the-latter being formedwith a refcess 12, substantially'triangular in form as andicated'in'Fig.2, for aw purpose hereinafter described. The post or standard 10 in 1"the embodiment of theinven'tion illustrated f angleswith the ofthe,standard 10, and

is a `very= short/one.' `'Obviously itgmay be longer if necessary. ``Thebasehas aflat bottom surface lwhichis substantially atright extendsoutwardly therefrom so that the base supports the Vstandard verticallyand may be moved to locate the standard at various distances from theedge ofga table on which the base rests loosely.

The post or standard is preferably hollow or tubular in forni, and theupper end thereof terminates ina horizontal disk 16. Below said disk thepostis formed with an offset 17 providing a recess'lS, as best shown inFig. l. A pin 19V is rotatably mounted in the upper end of the post andhas its lower end screw-threaded to enter a nut 2O in the recessl8,"whereby said pin 19 is retained A inits position. The pin 19 isformed with a horizontal diskQl, between which andthe disk 16 is a`friction washer 22 of leather or other suitable material. Rising fromthe disk 21 is an ear 23, against one side of which is held, by meanspresently described, an ear 24 extending downwardly from a bar 25. Afriction washer 26 of leather or other suitable material is interposedbetween the ears 23, 24, a bolt 27 having a wing nut 28 holding the ears:23, 24 together. This structure ofthe two cooperating pairs of disksenables the bookrest to be swung or rotatedon a vertical axis withouttoo great freedom of movement.y and also enables the bookrest-to berocked on the bolt 27 so as to alter the inclination of the bookdownward from a horizontal position to a nearly vertical position.

When the bookrest is swung downward to such a position as indicated inFig. 1, the bar enters the recess 12 of the base, en-

Vabling the book to incline downwardly below the edge of a desk or tableon which the device is placed, such desk or table being indicated inFig. 1l at b. The fact that the base 11 is cutaway orrecessed in theform indicated in Fig. 2 ,provides bearing portions each side of thecut-away portion which will `afford practically as much support when thesaid bili 29 and rib 30 may' loe slid'll'lgr tudnally "of bar to bringthe book toward the user or shiftit farther back,

without shifting the base ll.

Other portions of the improved bookrest or platform comprises arectangular frame 3l suitably secured to the center barQQand a bottomledge 32 suitably connected to the Y frame Slas by lrods 33.

i down lalmost i'ntdthe users lap, thus'facili-v tating inspection ofthecontents of the book wise.

rlhe side bars of the frameA 31v are provided with wings 3l, the loweredges of which are covered with cloth or leather, or other suitablesoftmaterial indicated at35. Adjustable ribs 36 are. provided, saidribshaving their ends Vmounted upon the upper and lower bars oftherectangular frame 31, said ribs being adjustable toward and from cachother by a right andleft hand screw 37 having an end handle 3S so thatthe user, by

yeither hand grasping' a handle 3S, may rotate the screw 37 to adjustthe ribs 3G toward and from each other.

ln order to hold, the bar 29 in position lengthwise of the bar 25 lprovide suitable means, such asa binding screw 3f) passing` through oneside of the-bar 29 and' bearing against the sideface of the bar 25. Y y

rllo prevent the bookrest orplattorin from lsliding olli' from the bar',suitable cooperating stops are provided, such as a stop #l0 extendingydownwardly from the lower edgeof the rib 30 and adapted to contact witha stop 4l projecting laterally from the vbar 25.

lllhen a book such as a ledger orother large book is placed upon therest or platform, as indicated in Fig. 3, the covers a ,will rest uponthe side members of the rectangular frame 3l in such position that theleaves (L of the book can be readily turned from side to side. do notclamp or pinch the back of the book, but they lie in the grooves betweenthe heavy covers and the stiff back of the ledger so as toprevent thebook from slipping sidesliding down. j

The device is intended chiefly Where its use is but temporary and whereit is desired to change. one large book for another from time to time.The bookrest or platform y may be swung about in a horizontal plane onthe axis ofthe pin v19, and may be swung 'vertically on the axis of theboltl27.- The said rest or platfornimay `be slid forward or backwardalong the bar 25, this sliding movement` coperatingywith the means forvadjusting in two planes just described, to enable the platform to standeither almost vertically, vor horizontally, or at any desiredintermediate position, the structure enabling `the -book to hang with aportion of its length below the surfaceA of a desk or table when Athe'b'ase ll is drawn to the front edge thereof. Therefore a large bookmay be brought The adjustable. ribs 36V `The `ledgeBQ prevents the bookfrom Vtongues or roots.

without injurywto said book. then the base ll isV pushed back on thedesk or table toward thelcft from' the positi'on'. shown in Fig. l,

the book may be held in a convenient position for copying therefrom. If,when the base is pushed back ou the table as last de; scribed, thebookres't or platform is `shifted forward along' 'the bar 25, the frontends of the wings 3a will operate as feet bearing upon the top of thedesk or table, the soft .covering 35 preventing marring the latter,

thus steadying `the book platform. The saine wings and their edgecoverings 55, bylbearing against the front edge of the desk or tablewhen `the device is used in such position-as indicated in Figa-1, willsteady the platform and also prevent inarring the edgeof-thedesk. i

lf` desired, the edges of the leaves of the book may be prevented fromsagging v supporter'mechanism suchasillustrated and tion of casting thelatter, the refractory pad Vbeing placedfin the mold whichforms thebase. The molten metal poured into the mold4 conforms to the innersurface of the pad, tongues or roots being thus formed which enter therecesses and crevices in the pad, so vthat when the metal hardens it isfirmly united to the pad. The inner surface of the pad may be roughenedor indented to form cavities to be filled by said It willfnow be seenthat the device comprises a base 1l having a flatV bottom surfaceadapted to rest loosely on a table top, a standard 10 perpendicular tothefbase, and centrally arrangedr relatively thereto,

kand a Vbook-supporting platform Bl'adjustably `connected, with saidstandard and adapted to be linclined relatively thereto. Owing to thefact that the base isfinterrupted by a recess l2A at vone sidefvof thestandard and `has an uninterrupted g and weighted portionat the oppositeside of the standard, the base is adapted to cooperate with the tabletop in supporting the standard and platform in avertiQal position, andrelatively near .the edge' of the .table top when the base is, adjustedon the tabletop j to cause itsrecessed portion .to overhang or iesproject from said edge, as shown" by Fig. l.

YVhen a book ai, isdeposited on the platform `and thevbar and platform`areinclinechas shown by Fig. l, the platform wings 34 bear on the edgeof the table top at points at opposite sides of the recessed portion ofthe base, and cooperate with said edge in steadying the platform andbook. The table top and the edge thereof cooperate respectively with theweighted portion of the base and with the platform wings in preventingthe standard, platform and boek from tipping outwardly or to the rightfrom the position shown by Fig. l. A ledger or other heavy book maytherefore be supported in a nearly vertical position with its lower endprojecting below the table top, and its pages in convenient position forinspection by a person seated at the table, the user of the bool: beingentirely relieved of the duty of supporting the book.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A book-holder comprising a base adapted to rest loosely on a tabletop, a standard perpemlicular to the base and aiiixed centrally thereto,a book-engaging platform adjustably connected with said standard andzulapted to be inclined relatively thereto, the base being provided witha recess at one side of the standard and having a weighted portion atthe opposite side en abling the base to support the standard andplatform relatively near the edge of the table top when the recessedportion of the base overhangs the edge of said top, and wings dependingfrom opposite ends of said platform and adapted to hear on the edge ofthe table top at points at opposite sides of the recessed portion of thebase when tit the platform is inclined, whereby the edge of the tabletop is caused to steady and partially support the platform and book,with the lower end of the book projecting below the table top, theweighted portion of 'die base and the table lop cooperating with saidwings and the table top edge in preventingl the standard and platformfrom tipping outwardly.

A device of the character described comprising` abase having a standard,a platformy adjustably connected with said standard, and wings havingedge coverings and depending from said platform.

3. A device of the character described comprising a base having astandard, a rectangular frame adjustably connected with said standardand having raised side bars to support the covers of a book, and ribsadjust-ably mounted upon the upper and lower bars el' said frame forsupporting the bool; adjacent the back of the book binding.

et. A device of the character described comprising a standard, a`rectangularl frame adjustably connected therewith, ribs mounted uponthe transverse members of said frame, and a. right and left hand screwfor adjusting said ribs toward and from each other. l

In testimony whereof I have aHiXed my signature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

CHARLES I-I. BARTLETT.

fitnesses A. W. HARRISON, I). WV. Pnzznrrr.

'Jopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

